So, you put White 2 as the box art, and then mention a Black 2 exclusive pokemon, instead of the one on the image you showed, which is White Kyurem?

Also, it's misleading to say that the "most recent Kamen Rider" series haven't made it to the US. In the 41 year history of the series, only Black RX and Ryuki have made it to the US, and as poor adaptations at that (Saban's Masked Rider in 1995/1996 and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight in 2009).

A more troubling question lingers. Is Pachipara 3D a vision of what awaits other mid-range companies? With the Japanese game industry rapidly bifurcating into big-budget titles and lower-key otaku niches, will more developers give up on genuine games and turn to simple, marginally profitable puffery? Will we one day see Treasure and G.Rev and Cave and Neverland and tri-Ace all making naught but pachinko-slot games shilled by bikini models? And then what shall we do in that world gone mad?

And I'd be fine with that. PArt of the reason I'm liking this gen more is that there is more otaku stuff than ever (even though tons of it is never localized). Seeing more and more of my main anime interest in games makes gaming even more enjoyable for me. I've lost any interest in realistic and Western games at this point.

Lord Raptor was a rockstar who sacrificed 100 of his fans in his final concert, and works for Ozma (who Raptor wants to betray to rule over Makai). So his been a villain from the start. I assume your basing Raptor off of the Darkstalkers OVA but the felicia part of it was simply to include more Darkstalkers in the OVA.

Also, it's misleading to say that the "most recent Kamen Rider" series haven't made it to the US. In the 41 year history of the series, only Black RX and Ryuki have made it to the US, and as poor adaptations at that (Saban's Masked Rider in 1995/1996 and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight in 2009).

Not true. In 2006 Generation Kikaida released all of Kamen Rider V3, the second Kamen Rider show, in a single DVD boxset with English subtitles. But, yes, Kamen Rider in general has been generally not brought over to the US.

In an interesting twist, though, Ultraman could get some new appreciation here. Shout! Factory will be releasing UltraSeven, the third Ultra Series show, in a single DVD boxset this December.

A more troubling question lingers. Is Pachipara 3D a vision of what awaits other mid-range companies? With the Japanese game industry rapidly bifurcating into big-budget titles and lower-key otaku niches, will more developers give up on genuine games and turn to simple, marginally profitable puffery? Will we one day see Treasure and G.Rev and Cave and Neverland and tri-Ace all making naught but pachinko-slot games shilled by bikini models? And then what shall we do in that world gone mad?

And I'd be fine with that.

I would not be fine with that. It would be a dark, dark day in Japanese gaming since some of those companies mentioned continue to make interesting, unique games that aren't really mainstream even in the current generation.

A more troubling question lingers. Is Pachipara 3D a vision of what awaits other mid-range companies? With the Japanese game industry rapidly bifurcating into big-budget titles and lower-key otaku niches, will more developers give up on genuine games and turn to simple, marginally profitable puffery? Will we one day see Treasure and G.Rev and Cave and Neverland and tri-Ace all making naught but pachinko-slot games shilled by bikini models? And then what shall we do in that world gone mad?

And I'd be fine with that.

I would not be fine with that. It would be a dark, dark day in Japanese gaming since some of those companies mentioned continue to make interesting, unique games that aren't really mainstream even in the current generation.

Well the only one of those companies I've ever played a game of is Tri Ace, and Star Ocean 4 is already pretty otaku driven, having everything from the loli catgirl fanservice to the big boobed girl wearing revealing outfits... so it won't change much in the way they make games. I know Cave makes shooters, and I'm not interested in those games... not sure who G Rev and Neverland are.

Well the only one of those companies I've ever played a game of is Tri Ace, and Star Ocean 4 is already pretty otaku driven, having everything from the loli catgirl fanservice to the big boobed girl wearing revealing outfits... so it won't change much in the way they make games. I know Cave makes shooters, and I'm not interested in those games... not sure who G Rev and Neverland are.

G.Rev also makes shooters, Neverland is most noticeable these days for producing all the Rune Factory games (which are pretty good).

Making "otaku" games is fine...but do you really have an interest in pachinko games like what Irem has done?

Well the only one of those companies I've ever played a game of is Tri Ace, and Star Ocean 4 is already pretty otaku driven, having everything from the loli catgirl fanservice to the big boobed girl wearing revealing outfits... so it won't change much in the way they make games. I know Cave makes shooters, and I'm not interested in those games... not sure who G Rev and Neverland are.

G.Rev also makes shooters, Neverland is most noticeable these days for producing all the Rune Factory games (which are pretty good).

Making "otaku" games is fine...but do you really have an interest in pachinko games like what Irem has done?

Well I was focusing more on this point: "With the Japanese game industry rapidly bifurcating into big-budget titles and lower-key otaku niches, will more developers give up on genuine games and turn to simple, marginally profitable puffery?". I should have stated that instead of just using the whole quote. Basically, I enjoy otaku games, and want more of them since they focus on what I enjoy about games. I don't really care about the pachinko stuff.

Sea of Trees finds red-haired hero Adol once again stricken with amnesia.

Once again? This is the first time he's officially had amnesia in any of his games. The only reason why none of the fans are crying about it being cliche is the fact many of us actually want to know more about Adol's past before he became a hero in Ys 1 and 2. All we have are the passages from the Japanese wiki and miscellaneous published material stating that Adol struck out into the world to find people to save. Reason? Bards kept passing through his home town singing about all the suffering in Ys world and he wanted to stop it. Kid didn't even receive a call to adventure. He went out looking for one. Hardcore.

C'mon, Falcom and XSeed. Don't leave us hanging with just the import to pass the time.

Will we one day see Treasure and G.Rev and Cave and Neverland and tri-Ace all making naught but pachinko-slot games shilled by bikini models?

Good lord, imagining any reputable game company doing that is just...revolting.

Project X Zone: You should see how overly sensitive the dorks on GameFAQs and YouTube are about the likelihood of this not coming over. It's obviously a grand idea, but let's face it: it's hard to imagine this coming here. Still an awesome collection of heroes and villains nonetheless.

Lost Heroes: Gundam still has pull in the U.S., but I have no doubt that only the most hardcore fans here will care about Kamen Rider and Ultraman (although I'm partial to Ultraman myself due to my love of the giant monsters genre). This is one crossover I don't see making it. Shelf that one under imports. I had no idea this existed in earlier incarnations though. That is news to me.

Ys Celceta: This is probably going to be even more awesome than Ys Seven. Call me spoiled because of the latter, but I like the fact Adol has party members helping him rather than his solo work in past games. Probably the only unique difference is Adol being voiced by Hope's seiyu from FFXIII instead of Takeshi Kusao taking the reigns. Adol getting amnesia though...odd considering he's not normally forthcoming about who he is (though after all the adventures he's had and all the skill with which he handles situations, is it necessary to know?). Can't wait for this one's localization; means I'll have to get a Vita though, ugh.

Code of Princess: Truth be told, I haven't yet tried Guardian Heroes (though I'd like to) and this game shows the same level of promise (the option to play as the poor abused townsfolk kicking ass is just hilarious too). People really need to stop talking about her clothing though. I swear, can't the multitude of Captain Obvious schlocks focus on gameplay instead of how close she is to revealing her tits?

Well I was focusing more on this point: "With the Japanese game industry rapidly bifurcating into big-budget titles and lower-key otaku niches, will more developers give up on genuine games and turn to simple, marginally profitable puffery?". I should have stated that instead of just using the whole quote. Basically, I enjoy otaku games, and want more of them since they focus on what I enjoy about games. I don't really care about the pachinko stuff.

A more troubling question lingers. Is Pachipara 3D a vision of what awaits other mid-range companies? With the Japanese game industry rapidly bifurcating into big-budget titles and lower-key otaku niches, will more developers give up on genuine games and turn to simple, marginally profitable puffery? Will we one day see Treasure and G.Rev and Cave and Neverland and tri-Ace all making naught but pachinko-slot games shilled by bikini models? And then what shall we do in that world gone mad?

You do realise that the 'Umi Monogatari' series is absolutely huge in Japan and consistantly places in the top 3 pachinko/pachislot IP?
(Evangelion and Fist of the North Star often take up the other two spots, although other titles do spike briefly here and there).

The fact of the mater is that, as an IP, this title will make Irem more money than any of their old core ones would. And that isnt Irem's fault, all they are doing is making what sells. It's what the Japanese market wants, simple as that.

belvadeer wrote:

Good lord, imagining any reputable game company doing that is just...revolting.

Sega-Sammy would like a word! lol. Sammy in particular has done Fist of the North Star pachislot along with the awesome 2D fighting game on the PS2.
But Capcom licenses out another IP to be used in Pachislot practically every other month - Resident Evil, Sengoku Basara, etc etc.
In fact, any game/anime/idol band that has even a bit of mainstream success is certain to get the Pachinko/pachislot treatment. And the best performing ones end up on home consoles - as an example, Halo 2 was outsold by Fist of the North Star 2 pachislot on PS2 when both launched on the same day in Japan.
In short - they sell so companies make them. It's probably more productive to look at the changing tastes and play motivations of the Japanese consumer than blindly blame these companies that are just trying to navigate ever changing consumer tastes and trends.

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